1. Field
One embodiment of the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a storage drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional technique, an information processing apparatus containing two processors each including a tracing write circuit and a tracer memory and having the same configuration and performing the same operation on a master side and a slave side has been disclosed (see Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 9-114695, for example).
According to this information processing apparatus, the two processors trace the same trace information to make a double check in a normal operation, and perform tracing in different modes at the time of debugging or occurrence of faults.
The tracer write circuit on the master side writes tracing information instructed by a normal microprogram to the tracer memory. On the other hand, the tracer write circuit on the slave side extracts only a branch instruction in tracing information and writes the branch instruction to the tracer memory when instructed to write only a branch instruction by a tracer control signal, for example. Thereby, an advantage of obtaining tracing information for different purposes such as fault analysis can be attained.
Tracing information is also obtained when tracing information is extracted at the time of occurrence of faults. Therefore, there is the possibility that important tracing information essential for fault analysis does not remain in a conventional information processing apparatus (since tracing information obtained at the time of extraction of tracing information is overwritten).
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and an object of the invention is to provide an information processing apparatus and a storage drive capable of performing fault analysis by maintaining tracing information reliably.